Andrew l



Patented Apr. Il, |899.

No. 623,037.'y

A. L. BIKER.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

(Appueatign ned my 23, 189e.)

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ANDREW L. RIKER, E NEW YORK, N. Y.

MOTO R-VEHICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 623,037, dated April11, 1899. Application iiled May23, 1898. YSerial No. 681,541. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW L. BIKER, of New York, State of New York,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Motor-Vehicles, whichimprovement is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to the construction of motor-vehicles, and moreparticularly to certain portions of the running-gear thereof,

comprising the frame, the axles, and the driv-l ing mechanism.

The improved running gear herein described is an improvement on thatdescribed in my pending application, Serial No. 669,947, filed Februaryll, 1898, and is designed to simplify and cheapen the construction andlighten certain of the parts Wit-hout detracting from the reliabilityand eiiciency thereof.

The invention will best be understood by reference to the figures of thedrawings forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 showsa plan view, in part section, of the rear portion ot a running-gearframe, thehubs only of the wheels being shown and the side bars beingbroken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan view, in partial section, of thejoint uniting the side bars to the axle. Fig. 3 is a side and Fig. elCan end elevation thereof; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the end ofa side bar, with part of the key or collar.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts' in all the figures of thedrawings, in which- A indicates generally the joint uniting the sidebars C C with the tubular axle B, and B is a solid axle within thetubular axle B, each of which extends as an unbroken axle the entirewidth of the vehicle.

D is the motor, suitably supported on the rear axle and a thirdpoint onthe frame, and Y D' and D2are spacing-sleeves slipped on over a reducedportion of the tubular axle B and serve to firmly iix the motor in itsproper position on said axle.

R is the brake-drum, and d is the drivinggear, fast on the tubular axleand in mesh with the pinion d on the motor-shaft.

I-I H' indicate the wheelhubs operating substantially as in myapplication above referred to.

Surrounding the gearing and brake-drum may be `a gear-casing of lightsheet metal. (Not shown.) The yokes PP,by which the side bars areattached to the axle, are alike, and a concave raceways Zr cut aroundthe opposite edges of its perimeter, leaving a projecting ridge lobetween said ways and along the medial linel of the perimeter of thering K, as is clearly shown in Figs. l and 2. of hardened-steel ballstravel in these raceways and are retained in place by a boxing or shellcomposed of the reversely-faced halves m m, Fig. 2, having along theircontiguous edges projecting flanges m m', through which suitablefastening devices, as screws m3, are passed to secure the two halves ofthe box or shell together. The inner adjoining portions of these halvesm m are cut away, so as to form, when the two halves are united, asemioval concavity 'm4 in the inner periphery ofthe shell, each half ofwhich concavity lies opposite one of the raceways 7c in the ring K. Itwill be observed that the balls of the bearing are secured between theshell and the raceways by closing the halves m of the shell over theballs and inserting the screw m3, and that once secured the bearing canbe neither loosened nor tightened. The object of this is to avoid anychange in the adjustment of the bearings in the hands of unskilledpersons, experience having demonstrated that it is much more desirablein this class of vehicles to leave the bearings asadj usted by skilledworkmen, and in case of Wear, which will not be apparent for aconsiderable time, to replace the worn parts by new.

The depending side flanges m5 m6 have washers mi, of felt or othersuitable material, secured ingrooves to form a close iit around the axleand exclude dust from .the bearing. The internal diameter of the vflange'm5 is somewhat less than that of the liange m6 for a purpose which willpresently appear. It is to be observed that when this bearing is removedfrom the axle the balls and raceway are securely held in place in theshell, thus enabling the bearing as a whole to be readily removed andreplaced without danger of loss of any of the parts.

The yoke P, Fig. 3, is shown as composed of two parts pp of a ringformed to snugly iit Two rows Ioo the outerperiphery ofthe shell of thebearing, said parts p p' being secured together by bolts passing throughflanges, as shown in Fig. 3. Connected to or formed with one of thehalves, as p', of the yoke P is a tubular socket .192, having aninternal diameter but slightly exceeding the external diameter of theside bars C C of the running-gear frame. Immediately in front ofandforming substantially a continuation of the socket 132, but with anintervening space between them, is a ringp, united to the yoke by therib p4, as shown, and further strengthened by the web or rib p5, unitingthe under side of the socket p2 tothe under side of the ring p3. Theside bars G C have an annular groove or depression c, Fig. 5, formednea-r the ends of the bars. To unite one of the bars-say C'-to the yoke,the end of the bar is inserted through the ring p3 and into the socketp2, thereby bringing the depression or groove c opposite the spacebetween the ring and socket. A suitable clampingcollar-as, for example,the two-part collar f, Fig. 3-is fitted into the groove c in the bar Cand secured in place by any suitable means, as a pin passing through thecollar and bar. The thickness of this collar f should preferably be suchas to bring its outer surface flush with the outer diameter of the ringp3 and socket p2 When the collar fits snugly in the groove of the barC'. By reason of the coupling thus constructed the bars C C' may turnfreely in the sockets, but cannot be withdrawn therefrom withoutremoving the retainingcollars f. The supports for the motor D on therear axle may be and preferably are composed of yokes provided withball-bearings similar to those used lin connecting the side bars' to theaxle, except that the internal diameter of the flanges m5 m6 is the samein the form of bearing used for supporting the motor and that.

the motor is coupled rigidly instead of flexibly to the yoke.

The tubular axle B is turned down or reduced on the end or portion Wherethe motor is supported, thereby forming the shoulder h, the reducedportion extending from said shoulder b'to the end of the axle. Thistubular axle is also turned down or' reduced for a short distance on itsopposite end, forming the shoulder h' at the point Where the bearing forthe side bar C is attached to the axle.`

In assembling the parts the first bearing for the motor is slipped overthe reduced portion of the axle and the edge of the raceWay K pushedfirmly up against the shoulder h. The spacing-sleeve D2 is thenplacedover the axle and bears against the opposite edge ofthe race- Way K. Thesecond motor-bearing is then applied, after which the spacing-sleeve D'is slipped over the axle. The ball-bearing for the side bar C is nowplaced over the end of the axle, with the flange m5 innermost (see Fig.l) and the edge of the raceway K fitting snugly up against the end ofthe sleeve D. A collar g, having internal screw-threads, is

then screwed onto the tubular axle tightly up against the outer edge ofthev raceway K, therebybinding the motor and the side-bar yoke securelyin position. This collar g performs an important office, and it isnecessarily made of heavier metal than the sleeves D D2, and in orderthat it may enter the annular opening in the iiange fm of the bearing itis necessary that the internal diameter of said flange be greater thanthat of the Iiange m5, which surrounds the comparatively thin sleeve D2.The bearings of the joint A for the side-bar C are applied insubstantially the same Way except that the inner edge of the raceway Kis tted up close to the shoulder b' of the tubular axle instead ofagainst the end ofa sleeve, there being no sleeve surrounding thetubular axle on that side of the vehicle. The hubs of the two Wheelshave bearing on the axle, as in my former application referred to, andare secured by nuts engagingwscrewthreads on the ends of the solid axleB.

By this construction I obtain a strong reliable running-gear with theminimum Weight of metal and provide a iiexible joint between the sidebars and axle that is simple and ef fective.

What I claim isl. In a running-gear for vehicles, a yoke hung to an axleto turn in avvertical plane transverse to said axle, and a side bar con#nected to the yoke so as to turn therein, but Without translatory motionrelative thereto, substantially as described.

2. In a vehicle,an axle, a raceway surrounding said axle, a casingsurrounding said race- Way, balls interposed between the casing andraceway, a yoke secured to the casing, and a side bar having its endsecured to turn in said yoke, substantially as described.

3. In avehicle, ayokesecured to turn tra-nsverse of the axle, a socketin said yoke, a ring attached to the yoke in proximity to the socket, aside bar passing through said ring and entering said socket, acircumferential annular groove near the end of the side bar, and acollar seated in the groove in the side bar and filling the spacebetween the ring and socket, substantially as described.

4. In a motocycle an axle, a motor hung on a reduced portion of saidaxle with one of its bearings abutting a shoulder thereon, a secondmotor-bearing, a spacing-sleeve extending between the twomotor-bearings, a bearing for a side bar yoke on the axle, a spacing-sleeve between said side-bar-yoke bearing and one of themotor-bearings and a screwthreaded collar on the axle and engaging theouter edge of the s ide-bar-yoke bearing, whereby the three sets ofbearings are firmly secured in their respective positions, substan-Vtially as described.

5. In a running-gear for vehicles, a solid axle, a tubular axlesurrounding the same, each axle extending in unbroken length entirelyacross the vehicle, a motor hung on bearings surrounding the tubularaxle, a side- IIO IZO

a second screw-sleeve, Wheel-hubs on the respeetive ends of the compoundaxle and nuts engaging the ends of the solid axle, whereby the tubularaxle is free to turn on the solid axle,*and the Wheel-hubs and severalbearings are free to turn in their respective positions While all thepartsl are secured against relative longitudinal movement, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

v ANDREW L. BIKER. Witnesses: THos. L. PRooToR, A. C. SCHULZ.

